Hair drier shield



G. A. CARY EfAL.

HAIR DRIER SHIELD July 6, 1943.

Filed Oct. 21, l940- Bnventogz wen a. Car az!- L0uz'sh 866211 Patented July 6, 1943 HAIR DRIER SHIELD Gwen A. Gary, Topeka, and Louis H. Stanley, Madison, Kans.

-Application October 21, 1940, Serial No. 362,054

1 Claim.

This invention relates to protective devices for use under hair driers in beauty shops and the like, to protect or guard the face and neck against the heat of the drier and has for its general object to produce a device of this kind which not only shields the ears as well as the face and neck against heat, but which also acts as a sound deadener, making it possible for the patron wearing the device to carry on a successful conversation.

Another object of the invention is to produce a construction of this nature which may be sterilized as a whole, if desired, but which in addition thereto is provided with a quick-detachable gasket member which may be readily removed and sterilized separately so that a fresh gasket will be available for each patron.

A further object of the invention is to produce a head shield of adjustable character so that it will fit a wide range of head sizes, the adjustment being made both at the front and rear of the device without the necessity of unscrewing bolts, nuts or other fasteners.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a head shield of the character set forth which is of strong, durable, efficient and inexpensive character, and is of attractive appearance; and in order that it may be readily understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side view of the shield embodying the invention, as it appears in operative position.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the device as it appears without the compressible lining or gasket.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective disclosing the end relation of the two sections of the device.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical fragmentary section showing one of a pair of clamps for holding the two sections in yielding relationship.

Figure 6 is a vertical section, full size, showing means for securing the compressible gasket sections detachably within the sections of the metal plates, the section being taken on the line VIVI of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken through one of the ear pocket portions of the device, the gasket at the arch providing a recess for the reception of an ear of the patron wearing the shield.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective on a reduced scale to show an ear-receiving section of the gasket, as viewed from the inner side.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, i and 2 represent arcuate plates slightly curved or dished in cross section by preference, as shown in Figure 3, and adapted to conjointly provide a substantially oval shaped central opening to be fitted over the head of a patron just below the hair line as shown in Figure l. With this device a patron is free to sit under a hair drier or the like, and her neck and face are protected from the heat of the drier as will hereinafter more particularly appear.

The plate 1, adjacent its opposite ends and about midway its width, is equipped with a pair of projecting threaded stud bolts 4 and 5, or any other adequate arrangement to secure a similar result may be used, said stud bolts projecting through slots 6 and l in the opposite overlapping ends of the plate 2. By this arrangement the plates i and 2 may be slid back and forth to increase or diminish the smaller axis of the oval shaped head opening.

By preference, each of the stud bolts 4 and 5 extends through a spring clamp member of any suitable character, such as the spring Washers 8. By preference, the spring clamps have adjustable tension as by the thumb nuts 9, whereby it is possible to increase or diminish the friction exerted by the plates against movement, one on' the other. It will be noted in this connection that the outer end of the slot 6 at the rear of the shield is closed, while the outer end of the slot 1 at the front end of the shield is open, so that the two halves of the shield may be swung entirely open at their front ends, the bolt 4 acting as a hinge, for convenience in manipulation of the shield when being placed in or removed from operative position around the head of a patron Without interfering with the hair.

Since it is not desirable to have any part of t e shield plates l and 2 come into contact with the patrons scalp, gasket members should removably line the head opening, and to provide for such a gasket which will act as a point of support for the suspension of the plates, each plate I and 2 is formed with an upstanding flange or wall ll] around its segment of the head opening, said Walls Ii! having inturned beads I l at their upper edges which overlie the gaskets hereinafter described and cooperate therewith in sustaining the plates in operative position. The flanges H] at diametrically opposite points, corresponding to the position of the ears of a patron, are offset outwardly and then curve upwardly and inwardly to form a pair of ear pockets l2.

The liners or gaskets Hi to demarcate the head opening are, by preference, formed of soft molded sponge rubber which can be sterilized by immersion in suitable solutions. In order to provide quick-detachable means for securing the gaskets to the plates, said gaskets may be molded with an internal metal ribbon M from which a number of spaced spring clips l5 externally project, or any other desired arrangement of securely fixing the clips to the rubber gasket may be utilized. When the gaskets l3 are positioned against the walls I0 and under the beads l I of each of plates I and 2, the spring clips frictionally project through a series of correspondingly spaced openings in the flanges III, as shown. The gasket sections are thus quickly detachable. It will be noted that the gaskets are formed with arch portions corresponding to the positions of the arched pockets I2 of the plates; and in order to provide plenty of space for the ears, said gaskets are cut away as shown at [5 so that the resultant narrow edge I! may come into sealing clamping engagement with the temporal bone above each ear. The patrons ears are thus protected from heat and from the greater part of the noise emitted within the hood of a drier or the like.

From the above description it will be apparent that we have produced a construction embodying all of the features of advantage pointed out as desirable, it being noted in this connection that the long axis of the shield is large enough to accommodate the greatest head size, the width of th gasket and its resiliency being depended upon to seal the front and rear portions of the head opening. Since clamping pressure at the sides of the head is depended upon to secure the shield in position, the short axis of the device must be widely adjustable and for this reason the walls In at the front and rear of the shield on the plate 2 terminate in relative parallel portions 18 to accommodate maximum width adjustment of the shield.

We claim:

In a head shield, the combination of a pair of arcuate plates hinged together at one end and detachably connected at the opposite end, each plate having an upstanding wall at the inner margin terminating at the upper edge in an inturned bead, a gasket of soft resilient material completely lining the upstanding walls and the beads and composed of sections abutting endwise together adjacent the ends of the plates, a metal ribbon molded in each gasket section, and a series of spring clips extending outwardly through the ribbons, gasket sections and the walls of said plates and frictionally engaging said walls for withdrawal therefrom to permit the gasket sections to be removed from position.

GWEN CARY. LOUIS H. STANLEY. 

